When I look up unusual "National" days on the internet, there are usually 3 or 4 things happening on any given day. So I pick and choose one that looks fun to write about on my chalkboard.  Today is National Bologna Day!  How fun is that?  Growing up in East Los Angeles among Mexican and Jewish people (we're talking 1956), I was embarrassed to bring rice balls wrapped in black seaweed for lunch.  I'd beg my Mom for peanut butter and jelly or just plain bologna sandwiches.  It was a struggle but eventually Mom caved and made me "normal" sandwiches on white Wonder Bread.  The Helms Bakery trucks would arrive on our block and I loved running to see what goodies were aboard. Donuts, pastries and all kinds of bread!  What a delight it was! I'd hear the clinking of bottles early in the morning and the milk would magically be at the back door in the morning. I'd get slapped in the head if she noticed that I had licked the cream of the lid of the bottle (that is if she could catch me). So let's enjoy some nostalgia and have a yummy sandwich of the past...

Good to do this once in awhile...

So every few years it's good to reevaluate your life to see where you are.  We all have dreams about what we'd like in our lives, but we don't always "make things happen" by our own intentions. When things get hectic in our lives, it's easy to just go with the flow, isn't it.  Not enough time to do this or that. So Monday's board on my door was...

Take a few moments to think about your life and dream up a better one or one with better fringe benefits. It's only a thought, right?

It makes me think about when I started A Stamp in the Hand.  I was still with my handsome Iranian boyfriend at the time.  I was wishing and wishing for a van so we could take our wares to weekend sales.  Well, I wasn't very specific, so it happens that my boyfriend bought a very unattractive V-dub van for next to nothing.  He proudly showed up with it one day and I was distraught.  It was the kind of van you think a serial killer drives.  The guts were pulled out and it was a very dirty beige color.  No matter how many times you washed it, it always looked the same... UGLY!  So off we went for our weekend sales with the smell of exhaust coming into the van.  So I started dreaming up a NEW VAN which I couldn't afford and in a rather short time, I was able to lease (something I'd never done before) a brand new Toyota cargo van (we're talking the 80's now). I was in heaven.  I've dreamt up the next two vans as well.  When I look back on my life, I've done this time and time again without really thinking about it.  Somehow, once you get in the habit of doing it, it becomes automatic.  So get in the habit please.  You'll be amazed at the results...

Chalkboards...fugitive

After I set up the art studio, I went to a sale at World Market and picked up a couple of chalkboards, one for my wall to welcome guests and one for the door for people to post messages if I was out.  The outside door soon became a place for me to post messages to others in the warehouse. I rent a space from Judikins, Inc. so there are others milling about in the warehouse.  One of my mason jars contains a bunch of colored chalk so that I could post my messages.  I wasn't enthralled with using the chalk as it's so thick when I'm trying to make really fine lines.  Since we buy from Uchida of America to purchase our Marvy Brush Markers, etc., I thought I'd try their Bistro Chalk Pens. Oh boy!  That's the ticket!
They come in fine and medium and in regular colors and fluorescent as well. I was in heaven.  Then I discovered it was hard to clean off the board.  I could still see my writing or drawings on it when I tried to clean it with a wet paper towel.  Then Colleen mentioned that she heard that you should use a Mr. Clean pad wet to clean it off.  Presto!  I'd always admired the boards at Trader Joe's and other little cafes.  Now I can make my own!

Here's the board on my wall when I used regular chalk for Earth Day...

Like the pens better...

Eat your veggies...

This is what I ate in honor of National Noodle Day... a hot bowl of ramen... YUMMY!

I LOVE CHEESE!  (but I have to take Lactaid)

And YES, I left my bra at home that day!

I also learned some Hawaiian words...  puka- hole, lolo-crazy, ohana-family, okole - butt...

Back from the Dead

Well, it's been six years since I've posted on my blog.  I've been busy closing my manufacturing business, dealing with my new disease... the dread Diabetes, and figuring out how to cope without my beloved employees and my warehouse.  After closing the warehouse, we had a very small space to store our convention stuff to run the Original Rubber Stamp Conventions. I lost my personal office space so I had to work out of my house... not a good thing!  Last September 2014, we got a new space that's about 670 sq ft.  It's been a joyful space to work and do art. First thing I did was plan to decorate my back wall to create an inviting space to work in.  I gathered stuff from my house, from my former stuff out of storage and went to IKEA for shelves,  great room dividers, etc.

I had bought this huge roll of remnant linen of polka dots years ago for about $10 bucks.  Everyone tried to convince me to sell it at the warehouse sale, but I refused.  I had no idea what I would use it for.  So once I got into our space, I dug out the roll.  That's my friend, Raul, who is stapling the fabric onto the wall. As he worked I started planning the wall.

I saw in some magazine a photo of mason jars used to put "stuff" in.  I got them at Joann's and Michael's on sale and started filling them up with useful stuff.  That way when someone comes in and needs a rubber band or a postage stamp or color pencils or needs a roll of washi tape, it's all behind me on my credenza or on the wall. It's really fun to see all that stuff in these useful bottles.  It's visually stimulating.

Now when I need something, I just spin around from my desk and pick out what I need. I didn't have this set-up when I had 8700 sq ft.  I was so busy running the business that I never really had the time to play.  And that's why I started A Stamp in the Hand Co. so I could play.  Well, it took about 33 years for that to begin to happen.  Hey, it's never too late, right?

It's getting there...

This is what it looked like back in September of 2014...

This is what it looks like today.  The black and white room dividers on the left were the ones I got at IKEA.  What's great about them is that they are larger than the normal dividers and the white panels are plastic and easy to clean.  No chance of poking holes in them like the Japanese paper inserts. They cover the cages of stuff for the conventions.  I can easily move them around for privacy if I need it.